When speaking with the media on Wednesday, Georgia pitcher Brian Curley discussed in depth how visualization has become such a huge part of his game.
He undoubtedly liked what he saw Friday night at Missouri after becoming the first Bulldogs hurler this year to go seven innings, pitching 9th-ranked Georgia to a 9-2 win over the Tigers.
Curley didn’t just pitch, he pitched the best game of the year for Georgia (37-11, 13-9), which also saw Nolan McCarthy, Kolby Branch, Slate Alford, and Christian Adams each hit home runs.
In those seven innings, Curley allowed just four hits with zero walks and strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 2.96. The transfer from Virginia Commonwealth did hit three batters but finished strong, setting the Tigers (13-32, 0-22) down in order in the seventh before giving way to DJ Radtke in the eighth.
"I thought Brian Curley was really, really good, he set the tone," head coach Wes Johnson said on his post-game radio show. "He had a couple of little shaky innings, but man, when you've got that kind of stuff and you're attacking the strike zone for the most part the way he was, you're gonna get outs, and he did."
Radke would allow a solo home run and another run in the ninth for Georgia, which is 35-3 when scoring five or more runs.
Curley would have to dodge some bullets. Missouri had runners at second and third with two out, and in the fifth loaded the bases against Curley, but each time failed to score.
"These guys aren't going to lay down," Johnson said. "Their pitcher was coming out trying to do things and, you know, they're not going to quit. They're not going to roll over and lie down."
The final score notwithstanding, it took Georgia's bats some time to get going.
A solo home run by McCarthy in the third was the team’s only run and only hit until Branch homered in the sixth to put the Bulldogs up 2-0.
Georgia finally got some cushion in the seventh, scoring three times on a single by Alford and a two-run triple by Branch. All three runs came after two were out.
Alford homered in the ninth to put the Bulldogs up 6-1 before a three-run shot by Adams in the ninth accounted for the final score.
"We finally settled in and got some swings off. In the first, I thought we were still missing way too many fastballs early in the game," Johnson said. "We weren't on time, but we'll get that figured out. We'll continue to get the personnel where they need to be and go from there.:
The two teams continue their series Saturday at 8 on the SEC Network, before wrapping up on Sunday at 2.
